We all want beautiful and healthy skin. Skin that glows from the inside out is also a sign of a healthy lifestyle. Most of us follow some sort of a beauty and skincare regime to maintain the health of our skin. While some of us attempt to find the perfect beauty product, others take a holistic approach like detoxing and regenerating the skin from within.

But, before we get any further, we need to understand what causes various skin disorders. There are numerous factors that have a negative impact on the health of our skin.
Dr Jaishree Sharad, a dermatologist, dubbed them as “the five sinisters of our beautiful skin”.

In a video on social media the dermatologist talked about the five major enemies that harm the skin. These are sunlight, sugar, stress, pollution and smoking.

If you are wondering how these factors affect our skin, Dr Sharad clarified that in her post. Here is how each of these five elements expose our skin to more damage:

1) Sunlight

Sunlight is a cluster of radiations that can cause hyperpigmentation of the skin. We’ve got to blame UVA, visible light, blue light and infrared rays for this problem. These radiations also cause fine lines, wrinkles, allergies and tan to occur. UVB from sunlight can cause skin cancer too.

2) Sugar

We usually don’t think that sugar can damage our skin. But it does. Sugar causes glycation, which is a process that breaks down collagen fibres that are important to make our skin tissues smooth and tight. Breakdown of collagen fibre causes early ageing. Excessive consumption of sugar can also cause increased production of IGF1 hormone and increased acne.

3) Stress

We knew that too much stress can ultimately hamper hair health. But stress can also wreak havoc on skin health. Stress releases cortisol, which is a hormone that causes acne, hair loss, dark circles and early ageing. It can also worsen skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

4) Pollution

Pollution is a major factor behind skin damage. It increases free radicals in the skin. This damages the collagen and elastin fibres and facilitates early ageing.

5) Smoking
If you want healthy skin, it’s better to stay away from smoking. Because smoking also breaks down collagen fibres and causes acne, dark circle and signs of ageing.
We can aim for healthier skin only by guarding ourselves against these “skin enemies”.